The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is preparing for the elections next December and is hosting a delegation from the European Union (EU) on an exploratory mission. The latter wishes to ensure that the political, security and logistical conditions are met to be able to deploy its election observers in the country. To do this, she spoke with the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of defense to find out about the situation. The head of the EU exploratory mission, Vincent Ringenberg, stressed the importance of security assurances to be able to send part of the mission to Goma. The European Union’s response will be communicated next September.
This mission was also received at the National Assembly to ensure the necessary conditions for the deployment of observers. The security situation in the east of the country is described as being critical, which does not allow calm observation of the elections. The Congolese authorities are doing everything to ensure the safety of the population, but the situation remains worrying.
In the meantime, actions are being taken to fight against other scourges affecting the country, such as sexual violence and persistent insecurity in certain conflict zones. A commission of inquiry has been set up to combat military abuses in these areas. Haut-Katanga is also affected by problems of non-payment of civil servants and agents of the State, which raises the concern of certain observers of Congolese public life.
Finally, in Kikwit, a recent wave of insecurity forced the authorities to reinforce security to fight against the kuluna. Support marches were also organized to demand exemption from legal fees for victims of sexual violence and to raise awareness among the Congolese population in the fight against sexual exploitation. At the same time, initiatives have been carried out to prevent the spread of poliomyelitis, with vaccination campaigns having already vaccinated more than 900,000 children.
The Congolese news is therefore charged and requires careful observation by the national authorities and international partners to support progress and strengthen the security of the populations.